Buddha-Bar Beach | Abu Dhabi

“Where moments of style are as limitless as the stars.” Buddha-Bar Beach

With seasonal pop-ups in glamorous locations around the globe, Buddha-Bar Beach Abu Dhabi is in good company but this new Middle East location has its own unique feature, it’s the only permanent venue that’s open all year round.

With a prime location on Saadiyat Island, Buddha-Bar Beach made its regional debut when it opened at the stunning St Regis Saadiyat Island Resort back in the summer. While it may be famed for its upbeat vibes and fine-dining Asian cuisine, the Buddha-Bar Beach concept is also at the forefront of creative mixology and music showcased at its nightly sunset sessions and regular guest appearances by renowned DJ’s.

This hot spot is a fabulous day-to-night destination and is open daily from noon for lunch, followed by sundowners on the outdoor terrace and beach lounge and nightly for dinner and drinks. Once the sun has set the chilled out vibe begins to change into a more upbeat experience that carries on until the early hours.

Beach chic meets modern design in the stylish decor that embodies all the different elements of the concept across its separate areas. Dramatic design features greet you at the entrance, an opulent indoor bar with plush seating and hints of aqua and gold, an elegant restaurant with a show kitchen featuring a cevicheria, Japanese robata charcoal grill and sushi bar and the large sweeping terrace with an ocean inspired colour scheme. Located on the sand itself, the piece de resistance is the large beach lounge flanked by an oversized golden buddha and giant lanterns. With its relaxed ambiance and low level seating it’s the perfect setting to enjoy the nightly sunsets over the Arabian Gulf with a sundowner in hand while being entertained by the resident DJ and saxophonist.

The menu embraces Pacific Rim cuisine, a fusion of the best ingredients from the Far East with fresh seafood, prime meats and vegetables that have been grilled, steamed and stir fried to perfection. Expect exotic dishes with Japanese, Thai and other Asian influences in the sizable menu that offers quite the range of fresh sushi and sashimi. Signature mixology is a Buddha-Bar trademark, so whatever your preference you will find a cocktail or mocktail of choice in the mixology menu. We chose two from the Purple Shade Collection, the citrusy rum based Fifty Shades of Purple and the Donatello, a mix of gin with grapefruit and egg white. We enjoyed our drinks with a dish of steamed sea-salt topped edamame, the perfect way to start our evening while we perused the menu.

Well presented and tasty starters of Vietnamese beef salad, tempura vegetables and shiso chimichurri wagyu beef from the robata grill were followed by my vegetarian main course of charred asparagus paired with vegetable fried rice. The most notable savoury dish was the other half’s miso glacier 51 tooth-fish, a first and enjoyable experience of this sweet, fleshy cod species that was cooked to perfection and served on a bed of quinoa salad. For dessert, we shared the delectable logo emblazoned chocolate fondant, warm and oozing with chocolate sauce this sweet treat was served with vanilla ice-cream and fresh raspberries, a must try for sure.

They say location is key and Buddha-Bar Beach Abu Dhabi certainly has a prime spot on Saadiyat Island. Exotic Asian dishes and quaffable cocktails are the order of the day with a backdrop of chill-out tunes and live musicians, this is the ideal place for a sundowner followed by a delicious dinner and drinks and even shisha on the beach. Bring friends, family and visitors to enjoy what this bohemian beach bar concept has to offer, I don’t think you will be disappointed.